New traffic study downplays impact of Carmel Valley dog center

Already congested Carmel Valley traffic would be only slightly worse during weekday peak times if plans for a dog training center go through, according to a new traffic analysis commissioned by the applicant.

The analysis is included in a packet of studies, maps and letters submitted Wednesday in the permit process for the Carmel Canine Sports Center, proposed for 45 acres across from the Quail Lodge and Golf Club on Valley Greens Drive.

Congestion and safety became major opposition themes even before the one-lane closure of Highway 1 for tree removal brought Carmel Valley and Carmel area traffic to gridlock on the Friday before Classic Car Week.

The new study — done by Hexagon Transportation Consultants of Gilroy and based on complicated, acronym-laced formulas — says traffic in the area "would continue to operate at an unacceptable level of service" on two stretches of Carmel Valley Road. But, it continues, added weekday traffic "would result in less than a 1 percent increase in PTSF (percent time spent following)" and would not cause conditions to "degrade."

The segments cited on Carmel Valley Road are from Robinson Canyon Road to Schulte Road and from Schulte to Rancho San Carlos Road.

"The most recent study, in my clients' opinion, does not reflect the actual impacts upon traffic that the project would have not only at Valley Greens Drive and Carmel Valley Road but on the whole of Carmel Valley Road," Reed said by email.

An earlier application to the Monterey County Planning Department by owners Martha Diehl, Ernie Mill and Ken Ekelund was deemed incomplete as the county sought clarification on traffic, water and other issues. Diehl is a member of the Monterey County Planning Commission.

The center would stage events for a maximum of 24 days a year, with parking for up to 70 RVs for a maximum of 250 attendees and employees on those days. Center memberships are selling for up to $5,000.

Access concerns

Maggie Case, a member of the homeowners group's board of directors, disputed the study's conclusion.

It does not meet "the requirements and standards for environmental impact reports and must be taken with an extra grain — or whole shaker full — of salt," Case said in an email.

A revised site map shows specific spaces for event and RV parking on the property with no on-street parking, Diehl said.

Residents and attorney Stamp have expressed concerns about RV safety and access to the site across a one-lane bridge with a 15 mph speed limit, on Rancho San Carlos Road.

The report neglects "that recreational vehicles move much more slowly than cars, need more lead time to pull out into traffic and block visibility, which affects the safety of all drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians on Carmel Valley Road," said Stamp.

The site is accessed from Carmel Valley Road from either Valley Greens Drive, which has no traffic signal, or from Rancho San Carlos, which does.

It is expected traffic would use Valley Greens Drive as the shortest route, but event day delays and congestion on Valley Greens would be minimized by using Rancho San Carlos, the study states.

The "level of service" on Valley Greens on Friday event days during peak p.m. times is projected at the lowest end of a six-level scale, meaning "jammed conditions with excessive delays," the study states.

Because of that, a separate left-hand turn lane could be installed to lessen back-ups on Valley Greens for vehicles seeking to turn westbound onto Carmel Valley Road, the study recommends.

That suggestion is preliminary and the cost, not yet known, could be shared because the project only has to alleviate impacts it creates, said Robert Del Rio, vice president of Hexagon, which did the study.

Water supply

Water supply is also addressed in the application. The amount of available water from two existing wells is still in question, according to a letter from the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District to the county, written at owner Mill's request.

Although the district believes water from the wells could be used, "the specific amount of water available will not be formally determined until completion of ... the permit process, including a public hearing before the MPWMD board of directors," states the letter from district general manager David Stoldt.

The project does not have a long-term sustainable water supply, required by the county, because the Carmel Valley aquifer has been overdrawn, said Stamp.

A reasonable assumption, excluding unforeseen circumstances, would be that county staff could recommend approval of 62.91 acre-feet per year, equivalent to the most recent 10-year average available for the wells, the Stoldt letter states. The applicants indicated "they could function with this amount," said the letter.

The county permitting process and a California Environmental Quality Act review could begin in parallel with the water district's Water Distribution System permit process, although in other cases the county has required a signed permit before a project could start, Stoldt's letter states.

The application, which has not yet been reviewed by the Planning Department, also contains drawings of the location and type of proposed lighting and details of a proposed potable water and septic system.